About The Sommer Frieze

One of the most distinguishing characteristics of Yankee Stadium was the copper frieze (painted white in the 1960s) that ran around the roof of the grandstand’s upper deck. However, the 1974-75 renovation saw the roof replaced, and the facade was removed. A white replica was run along the bleacher billboards and scoreboard, where it stood until the Old Place was vacated. Now in the new stadium, the facade (frieze) has returned to crown the entire upper deck.

“The Facade,” as it is called, is used as an icon for both the stadium and the team. This can be clearly seen in its major use in graphics for the YES Network.

While it is called “the Facade” by fans, broadcasters, and Yankees officials, the correct term for the feature, “frieze,” is used very sparingly. Even more technically, as these features served to cover up the ends of cantilevered beams that projected out towards the field from the outer walls of the stadium, they comprise a fascia.